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OPINION

Who won't run for La. governor?

While we're all certainly interested in who will be a candidate for governor this fall, the more important question may be who isn't running. We won't have a definitive answer until Sept. 10 at 4:30 p.m., when qualifying closes, which means we have another eight months to speculate, hedge bets and have a little fun until Louisiana's political class starts twisting screws.

If there's an outlier in this developing race, it might come from a small sect in the statewide business community that wants a candidate with international chops. From exporting opportunities to new investors, some executives want a governor who can deftly focus on marketing Louisiana overseas. With few, if any, elected officials equipped to do so on day one, murmurs of a recruiting effort are being born.

It's nothing new. A candidate from the business community usually sprouts up in an open race for governor. Even though they've distanced themselves from the contest, the names of John Georges, the New Orleans entrepreneur who purchased The Advocate newspaper, and Jim Bernhard, former Shaw Group CEO, will continue to be whispered. The two Democrats could easily bankroll their own campaigns, but there's nothing yet to suggest either are anxious to run.

Just a few months ago, U.S. Sen. David Vitter seemed to be the candidate for big business, but his turnaround on Common Core put him at odds with business and industry's supportive stance. That possibly opens a window for the other two announced Republicans — Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne is aligned with business on the issue and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle is preparing to announce his stance — but the business lobby is keeping its hole cards face down.

On the other side of that policy fence, there is a small group of conservative state lawmakers on the hunt for an anti-common core candidate, and they're not yet sold on Vitter's sincerity.

Louisiana's unique open primary system, where all candidates run on a single ballot, make the prospect of a surprise contender all the more interesting. Nowhere is this more true than from the perspective of Democrats. State Rep. John Bel Edwards is currently the only declared Dem running against three announced Republicans. A recent Southern Media and Opinion Research poll awarded him a runoff spot as a result, with the GOP candidates carving up their own base. But another Democrat could water down Edwards' showing and force an all-GOP runoff.

Republican operatives are no doubt working to recruit a Democratic candidate or two — and they're not alone. Some diehard Democrats want to see either New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu or Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell step into the ring.

The most entertaining wild card at this hour is Angola Warden Burl Cain, a Republican who is said to be flirting with a run based primarily on an anonymous social media recruiting campaign. The other wild card remains GOP Treasurer John Kennedy, who said recently that he's weighing a campaign for attorney general.

That brings us to the also-rans, candidates without a traditional political structure, or personal bank account, behind them. Former Marine Beryl Billiot, who owns Skinney's restaurant in Kentwood, is one. So is evangelist Melvin Slack, who ran for mayor of Shreveport last year. They'll add some fresh voices and they just might, if they play their cards right, be interesting enough to steal earned media coverage from the established field.